🎧 Supreme Court Oral Arguments in Mahanoy Area School District v. BL

Lawyers on both sides of the Mahanoy Area School District v. BL case presented oral arguments before the Supreme Court of the United States on Wednesday, April 28.

Below, you’ll find a recording of that event presented by C-SPAN.

Full Audio of Oral Arguments to the Supreme Court of the United States in the Case of Mahanoy Area School District v. BL

Mahanoy Area School District appealed to the Supreme Court that it should hear its case that it should be allowed to punish students that post derogatory messages on social media, not while on school grounds, that are enough to disrupt the education of others and the function of the school.

Mahanoy Area Cheerleader Free Speech Case

At the end of her freshman year at Mahanoy Area High School, cheerleader Brandi Levy (“BL”) found out she’d not been promoted to the Varsity team for her sophomore year. Frustrated by the decision, she turned to Snapchat to vent her anger. And in a shortly-worded but F-word-laced message, let as many people as she thought would see that message know how she felt about it.

A screen capture image of that message quickly made it to the cheerleading coach at Mahanoy Area High School who quickly suspended Levy … for an entire year.

The severity of the punishment led the Levy family to take action against the school. First, filing for an injunction, and then to have their daughter’s status on the cheerleading team permanently restored.

Lower courts have ruled in favor of the Levys every step of the way before the oral arguments before the Supreme Court justices on April 28.

For more information on the case, check out our library of coverage below the embedded player with the full audio of the court proceedings.

 

MORE FROM OUR COVERAGE OF MAHANOY AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT V. BL:

• SCOTUS to Hear Mahanoy Cheerleader Free Speech Case Today
• Both Sides of Mahanoy Area Cheerleading Case Argue in Public – School Appeals to SCOTUS
• Supreme Court Will Hear Mahanoy Area Cheerleading First Amendment Case
• Canary Readers Split on Mahanoy Area Cheer Case Headed to SCOTUS

Photo license via Depositphotos

Subscribe to Coal Region Canary

Get email updates from Coal Region Canary by becoming a subscriber today. Just enter your email address below to get started!

Support Coal Region Canary

Like our reporting and want to support truly local news in Schuylkill County? Your small donations help. For as little as $5, your contribution will allow us to cover more news that directly affects you. Consider donating today by hitting the big yellow button below ...